Oh boy I love my excuses. I need them! But some people have the genetics, psychosis, or whatever it is to overcome the challenges and keep seeking the Olympic dream.

TWO ARTICLES! FIRST ONE...

Check out this article on a guy who can't hear the competition, but seems ready to beat them. An inliner, then a swimmer, then to drinks and drugs, back to inline, then he saw a buddy from inline skating on television in the Olympics...

It was time to transition to ice, a path already blazed by other inline skaters who'd gone on to race in the Olympics on the ice. He sold everything, including his car, and bought a one-way ticket to the Olympic Training Center in Utah.

And yes as we often admit, there can be an addiction there...a good one, we hope...

Somehow I ended up looking at skate videos on Youtube again. Here'1s more from Kevin Jagger (Mr. LongTrackLongShot.com) - the guy who jacked it all in with his day job to concentrate on trying to make it in the longtrack ice world.

With the weather being windy and uncertain at 5:45am when we had to get going if we were going, we decided to bail again on the training ride.

We sat outside for a while around 6am looking at the wind bending the trees and looked at radar on our phones. The 20 was not worth driving that far for, and if we did the 41, we were afraid there would not be many other riders (or skaters) at our pace doing that distance.

Not wanting to be a hassle, and not wanting to face strong winds, especially if the event were not well attended, we excused ourselves (after conferring with some mates on it).

So I got an email from Sparky of the Tater Rides about some video of a rider. The video seems indie movie and I usually love that but I almost stopped it. Wow am I glad I watched.

As I circumparambulate (redundant on purpose, like my excusification day after day through the now passing daylight losing time), others get on with it. My little exercise objections so numerable or down to just one or even none, I console myself with not wanting to burn out over a long season to come. That is OK. I must be doing what I need to do for me overall (or I can hope).

But with myself as a foil, it is inspiring to see a young lady shy of ten years, and to read of her love of wheeled travel such as that I feel, and to see her blossom through the struggles. Please take a moment to read about Lauren, and to see the photos of her in her patriotic colors, repaying generosity in the past with interest, through the spark of happy striving. You go girl.

First, if you're going to just watch a few minutes, here's the finish of Stage 5, the last 7.7km, which are great fun to watch, with a breakaway, small chase breakaway, some major riders dropped, and some major riders in a chasing peleton. Check it out...

Here's an interesting interview with a guy who talks and rides well, and seems to have respect for cycling and its traditions...and his team mates and competitors. If his words turn out to be genuine, I could be considered a fan. I haven't followed Paris-Nice well this year, but it is usually one of the first two events I notice a bit each year (along with Tirreno-Adriatico.

Here's the finish of Stage 1, where you can see Jens Voigt hanging with the young guys again, including de Gendt.

I was trying to see if I could get some streaming video going but I didn't get it all to work in time. Maybe I'll try again tomorrow. Check myp2p.eu if you're interested. I'm using Ubuntu Linux mostly right now, so it's a bit different to get it all going.

So here are a few links pointing to some of the latest in a big weekend for the USA both in the original speed skating (long track), where they skate against the clock and contact is rare, and the more television-friendly contact sport, short track, where anything can happen. (Yes I like the more boring event better when they broadcast it all and I don't know the winner in advance, at least. Short track is good fun, too.)

Shani Davis is going great and Heather Richardson won at least one bronze on the 400m track, but now the USA has skaters at the top of short track in male and female divisions. Nothing can help skating of all kinds like seeing some USAmericans bringing home medals.